Played about 50 hours of the 1-2-5 game a week or so ago. Button straddle on about 20% of the time ($10). Generally 8 handed a with the composition of players that you'd expect in such a game during the series (1/2 genuine plo players, 1/2 plo aggro but not maniac gamblers, a few loose passives). Buyin 200-1k. I generally bought in for somewhere between 600 and 1k depending on table position.

Game played relatively aggressively pre for a 1-2-5 game although not to the extent where people were 4-betting non-AA etc.

The game was very beatable, although I struggled with just how much to open up ranges pre given that the table was 8 handed and there was often 3 or 4 to a flop.

A few of questions:

1. Does anyone start to open for $10 rather than $15 (especially in LP) to give more play-ability post flop vs a 3bet from a $300 stack?
2. KcQx9c7x in the BB vs a $15 open from aggro player in CO that we don't mind playing pots against in general. Hero? Ranges feel so out of whack given the 7.5x open.
3. What are we doing with good, but non nutted, handed in MP vs EP open? (I'm specifically thinking about those that we don't necessarily want to 3! with smallish stacks behind but that play ok vs 3/4 weak ranges OTF).

Just felt weird playing vs 7.5x opens I guess...

The main takeaway with 1-2 blinds and 15 opens is that we don’t have to defend marginal hands. In fact we’re not supposed to for 7.5x. I would fold the KQ97. Also a “limp” acts as a raise.

I generally limp a lot in these games as it’s going to be fit or fold multi way anyways. I raise my strongest rundowns, double pairs, and some good big pairs because we’re going to hit more often.

There are big advantages to limping and keeping a high spr in spots where only nutted draws should continue multi way, but bad players are drawing to weak hands.

I think opening to 10 with all your vpips is fine. However if people have limped I would make it 15 or 20 or even pot, or overlimp.

1. Like OmahaDonk I also like limping. Limp in this game is actually a 2.5x open. Though in some games when deep rfi to $15 is great because you will just get a ton of action from bad hands.

2. Fold. Defend your BB very tightly vs 7.5x open. One way you print in this game is when people open 7.5x you can just wait for good hands and 3bet them because they are risking way too much to win $3

3. Unsure exactly what hands you’re talking about, but we can be very patient in general vs 7.5x open. Just wait for good hands and punish them that way.

Mostly just agree with OmahaDonk

If you have a $300 stack that is 3betting frequently then you need to open tighter in general. As for opening to $10, I would open for $10 on tight tables. If everyone is giving action with bad hands then I will open to $15

Yes it is weird playing vs 7.5x opens. The reality is though is that its very profitable if people are opening to that sizing with non-premium hands - it just means you will be playing very tight.

This isn't NLHE. No-one's trying to steal blinds in live PLO. And they're not risking it to win $3, they're getting $8 when everyone folds + a shot at winning a big pot postflop.

It’s 1-2 blinds but 5 to call. So you can limp button for 5, both blinds fold and you win the 3 dollars.

It's not 1/2 with a $5 mandatory straddle? You can raise to 15 with only $3 in the pot?

Honest questions, never played in this structure / game.

I thought the same as you at first after reading this thread, but it seems like it is a $1/$2 with a $5 minimum bring-in. Some rooms will round up the blinds when determining the pot size raise preflop to make the calculations easier.

Here it sounds like they're rounding up the sb and bb to $5 each, making it possible for utg to pot it to $15.

I've played a $5/$10 where first-in pot size raise preflop was $40 and not $35 (they rounded up the sb to $10 in calculating the pot size raises).

There is no 5 dollar blind. The pot has 3 dollars in it preflop but you must put in at least 5 to enter. Opening pot is 15 if you want to raise max. I have seen rare situations where one person limps for 5, everyone including the blinds folds and the limper wins 3 dollars.

OK normally when you specify 1/2/5 it means the 5 is mandatory. That the first raise is rounded is not something you'd normally include in the game size description.

Yea apologies for the confusion. 1/2 with a 5 bring in, open raises to 15 max and straddle of 10.

Thanks for all the responses. Playing tight / patience is definitely the way to be most certain of winning sessions in this game (and structure). It just felt like (when seeing hands that end up winning m/w pots at showdown) that I was missing value by not playing enough gappy-rundowns / non nut flush hands...

If the raise is capped to $15, then they are simply rounding up the sum of the blinds to $5, and if the bring-in is $5 that would make a pot raise +$10 for a total of $15.

I nit-pick because I play in a 2/3 game with $5BI and the max RFI is $20 because they treat each blind like $5.